The present invention relates to coffee servers in general. More specifically to a coffee server with vacuum insulation between inner and outer structural members and an optional liquid level gauge in the handle.
Previously, many types of coffee servers have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means to transport coffee from the brewer to the user and to store the brewed coffee until required. The most popular method of conveying and retaining brewed coffee is by the use of a glass carafe permitting visual indication of the level of coffee remaining in the container. Some prior art has attempted to maintain the temperature of the coffee by using an insulated container such as a thermal carafe utilizing an evacuated section in between two separate transparent shells.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Miller in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,618 teaches a thermal coffee carafe with a heat resistant outer shell of tempered glass or heat resistant plastic capable of nesting onto a coffee maker without deformation or deterioration due to the heat evolved. The carafe also has an interior globe which only comes in contact with the outer shell at the top with the cavity in between being evacuated to a lower pressure that atmosphere. The outer shell and interior globe are ultrasonically bonded together or attached with an epoxy and are transparent for indicating the level of the coffee inside. A lid is included to permit replenishment of coffee to the interior globe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,362 of Patel is for a thermal lid and beverage server with the lid attached pivotally to the top of the body. The lid has a conical passage with a floatable ball located within the passage such that when no liquid is entering, the ball seals the opening. A pouring spout extends from the body near the top and when the server is tilted the lid pivots assisted by a counter weight integral with the lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,502 issued to Enomoto is for a coffee making machine that roasts and grinds beans then blows air onto the coffee grinds for cooling. The machine then pours hot water over the grounds, brewing the coffee and then pours the finished coffee into a server that has a heater underneath for maintaining the desired serving temperature.
Zimmernann teaches in U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,884 an insulated jug of molded construction including a handle and pouring spout. A recess is formed in the top of the housing to receive a threaded lid for sealing the lid to the jug. Pouring is accomplished using relieved portions on the threaded part of the lid which when unthreaded permits liquid to flow from the container.
Brown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,338 discloses a handle assembly for a glass carafe using a band that is positioned around the neck. A plastic handle is connected to a metal band and there are two slots for receiving the ends of the metal bands for temporarily holding the band on the carafe during securement.
Richardson in U.S. design patent Des.271,074 depicts a coffee server that is apparently transparent, as diagonal lines are included in FIG. 4. The handle is shown as an integral part of the server as no other method of attachment is illustrated. A pouring spout is shown on the side opposite the handle with a gusset joining the body and the bottom is flat in the middle with a upward taper on its periphery.
Design Pat. No. Des.268,319 issued to Donoski et al. illustrates the design of a carafe made of a transparent material with a handle having a band that attaches around the neck of the body. The top appears to be open with a small spout for directing the liquid from the upper opening surface opposite the handle.
Levine in U.S. design patent Des.251,821 discloses what appears to be a metallic server with an open top and a handle that is attached on one side. The bottom has a flat surface in the middle and is upwardly tapered on the periphery. A rolled lip is shown on the top and a bead on the bottom apparently to join the bottom to the cylindrical body. There does not appear to have any other seams and no lid is illustrated.
In the past it has been customary to employ a glass carafe for use with a automatic coffee maker which has advantages in that it is light in weigh and offers visual indication of the level of coffee inside. However on the down side, glass by its vary nature, is rather fragile and therefore susceptible to breakage. Further heat is transferred easily through the thin walls of the vessel requiring a warmer integral with the brewer, necessitating returning the carafe to the brewer as soon as it has been used to transport the coffee to the users cup to maintain the proper temperature for the next time it is to be served. A further drawback to its use is that if a person is touched by the outside of the carafe when coffee is present inside it may cause a painful burn on the skin as the coffee temperature is usually just below its boiling point which is sufficient to inflict injury. It is therefore a primary object of the invention to use an insulated metallic server as a replacement for a glass carafe on existing brewers. The invention accomplishes all of the necessary utility as it is physically the same basic size and configuration particularly on the bottom which readily interchanges with the glass variety and the handle is of the same angular displacement making it easy to carry and pour coffee into a cup. Probably the most significant object is that the temperature of the coffee within the server may be maintained for a long period of time without the necessity of continual re-heating as required by the glass carafe. The invention employ""s a vacuum insulated server that is made of metal that is capable of maintaining the temperature of its liquid contents for as long as six hours at a temperature acceptable to serving coffee which is normally a minimum of 160 degrees F. (71.11 degrees C.). It may be clearly seen that this improvement in functional characteristics has great value and can actually change the way coffee is served in commercial and industrial establishments in the future.
An important object of the invention is that it ultimately saves electricity as no heat is necessary from a warmer that is normally always turned on during the hours of usage. Further, since the server is thermally insulated residual heat is not transferred into the room from the hot coffee stored inside. When included with the heat dissipated by the warmer, the air conditioning load may be significantly reduced particularly if a number of brewers are in use at the same time as is often the case in restaurants and large commercial buildings.
Another object of the invention is directed to the hinged cover on the stopper which permits filling the server from most conventional coffee brewers when the lid is opened with the lifting tab and tilted back until it rests on the handle. It is also important that when the server is tilted to pour liquid from pour spout neck into a coffee cup, the shape of the cone is offset sufficiently to preclude liquid from flowing out of the stopper through the cone instead from the spout underneath.
Still another object of the invention is that the stopper is removable for cleaning by simply rotating it some 60 degrees counterclockwise. This function is easily understood and is intuitively obvious to someone familiar with cooking utensils.
Yet another object of the invention is that metal is inherently more durable than glass which is obviously easily broken. It is well known that if a glass carafe containing hot coffee is dropped and broken the liquid splatters and covers a wide area with disastrous results. Shards of broken glass may also be propelled indiscriminately as a result of the impact which by themselves may be dangerous to persons within there trajectory. If the carafe is the vacuum liner type they are very fragile and may break with a slight bump or jar particularly if they are full of liquid, however they do not have the same problem of spreading the hot liquid in a large area as they are self protected. At any rate a metal vacuum insulated server overcomes all of the above disadvantages since it is robust and will withstand minor rough handling without any problems and even a fall from a few feet may only cause, at worst, a small dent without any of the above disastrous consequences.
A further object of the invention permits placing the server on a table or even leaving it there for an extended period of time without burning a person if the outside of the surface is touched since it is thermally insulated. As such the temperature of the outside surface will be only be a few degrees above the surrounding ambient temperature. With this in mind the probably of discoloration of a table top due to excessive heat is also completely eliminated.
A final object of the invention permits visual viewing of the level of coffee in the server by the simple addition of a sight gauge in the handle. This feature is particularly advantageous in a commercial surrounding where it is necessary to know at a glance how much coffee is remaining in the server. The invention includes such a device in the preferred embodiment using a transparent tube that is vented to atmosphere on the top and is completely enclosed within the handle and yet visible through a slot performing fully within the parameters of a conventional liquid level gauge or sight tube.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.